


Rain

by MemoryPalaceofWillGraham (JaxCat)



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: 5 Times, Bittersweet, Future Fic, Hannibal is Hannibal, M/M, Reunion Fic, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-22
Updated: 2014-06-22
Packaged: 2018-02-05 17:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1825771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaxCat/pseuds/MemoryPalaceofWillGraham
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Hannibal was caught out in the rain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rain

**Author's Note:**

> For the Murder Husbands Network on tumblr (love you <3), for the weekly prompt of "Nature." Inspired by the ending scene of Mizumono and the thunderstorm beating outside while I wrote.

The clouds had been gathering all day, and Hannibal sighed in exasperation as he felt the first fat, wet drop splash onto his nose. His sister had insisted on playing hide-and-seek, even when Hannibal tried pointing out the dreary sky and the cold wind. In the end, she got her way. She always did, when it came to her big brother.

The only problem was, Hannibal couldn’t find her. Mischa was very good at hide-and-seek, and the grounds of their estate were extensive, but there was only so many available hiding spots. He had searched out her usual haunts and then went back more methodically, but he still couldn’t find her. He hesitated by the hedgerows at the far end of the grounds, looking back at their house. Lightning flashed and captured the scene like a photograph in Hannibal's mind. The rain was pouring in earnest now, but he didn’t feel it would be right to leave his little sister out here alone.

Luckily, at that moment, he heard a giggle. Hannibal followed the sound and discovered a new hiding spot that Mischa had searched out. Dropping to his knees, he crawled underneath the old hedgerow, emerging into an open space where the branches had died. It formed a cozy nook, just large enough for the two children. Mischa threw her arms around her brother.

“Big brother! You found me!”

“Of course, little one. You know I would never lose you.”

~~~

Lightning slashed the sky and Hannibal was quickly soaked by the rain. He sat huddled next to a half-dead tree and relished the chill. The physical discomfort helped distract his mind from other sensations and memories. How his home had looked the last time he had seen it through a storm. Shouts and fire. The phantom limb tingling of a small hand slipping out of his.

The clean, crisp scent of rain was a welcome change after the stench of the orphanage. The old house was filled with the smells of boiled cabbage and burnt bread. His own clothes smelled of mothballs and of the child they had belonged to before he arrived.

Hannibal leaned his head back against the trunk and considered the storm above him. He listened to the thunder and allowed it to replace the sounds of a small girl’s screams.

~~~

The dining room was empty. Hannibal had finally persuaded Will to join him for dinner. Their weekly conversation had run later than usual, Will pacing around the office frantically as he described the newest moments of missing time he had experienced. It had taken Hannibal quite a bit of patience to calm him down. Will had finally mentioned that he hadn’t eaten all day, a perfect opening for Hannibal.

He invited Will back to his home for dinner, making his own light excuses about how he had busy with patients all day, hadn’t eaten himself, and appreciation of the company. Hannibal was interested to see if a change in scenery allowed for another step in the game he was playing. Will had become increasingly comfortable around Hannibal, much to his quiet satisfaction. He had been a guest before, but never for anything longer than a cup of coffee in the kitchen. Tonight they had shared a simple dinner together. There had been a new tension in Will as the evening wore on, but Hannibal was content to puzzle it out later.

Hannibal had finished clearing the plates and Will was nowhere to be seen. The glass doors of the dining room were not quite closed all the way. He made his way outside, eyes adapting easily to the dark. Standing in the garden, Will stood stock-still, arms wrapped around himself. It had started to rain and he was shivering. As Hannibal neared, he realized that it wasn’t only the cold and wet causing the younger man to shiver. Warmth from Will’s ever-present and slowly simmering fever rose from his skin. Hannibal wanted to bask in the warmth and the sweet smell of his pain.

Instead, he touched Will’s arm gently, making the appropriate concerned noises. Will’s eyes were blank as he turned his head slightly towards Hannibal. Hannibal smoothed a hand over Will’s forehead, brushing rain from his hair.

“Will? Do you know where you are? Do you remember what you were doing?”

Will’s eyes cleared, now serious and intent. He gazed at Hannibal. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

“My name is Will Graham. It is 9:15 on Thursday. I am in Baltimore, Maryland. And what I was doing...was imagining this.”

Will tipped his head up and captured Hannibal’s lips.

~~~

When Hannibal left his home for the last time and shed the life he had known, the rain was pouring once again. His shirt was covered in blood and the taste of blood was in his mouth, the mingled blood of two that he had once considered dear to him. Tilting his head up, Hannibal kept his eyes open and allowed the rain to wash over him. The fresh, ozone scent centered his mind. He set Will and Abigail behind him and disappeared under his newly constructed mask and into the dark of the quiet streets.

Over the sound of thunder, sirens began to wail in the distance.

~~~

Hannibal watched the man standing in the surf. He had been throwing tennis balls for his dogs, but was now working on rounding them up as a storm rolled in. His laughter had been loud and easy. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was red, the first few patters of warm rain dampening the sand. The dogs noticed Hannibal first, their barking alerting Will to the intruder. Will stopped and considered him, before making his way warily back up the deserted stretch of beach. Hannibal stood relaxed in front of Will’s small house, very similar to the one he had left behind in Wolf Trap. He watched Will approach and kept his hands open and to his sides, letting Will see that he was hiding nothing.

It had been years since Hannibal had seen Will. He had never visited Hannibal after his capture, nor had he responded to any letters Hannibal had sent. This had not surprised Hannibal, though he could admit he had felt pangs of disappointment as the next move in the game went unplayed. Will looked much the same, his hair a bit shaggier and his skin tanned by the Florida sun. He had on a thin cotton shirt, left unbuttoned. Hannibal could see the slashing scar twisting across Will’s stomach, standing out pale against his skin. Will saw Hannibal look and deliberately did not close his shirt.

“It’s been months since you escaped. Why now?” Will asked bluntly.

“I knew that the authorities would expect me to track you down. I am sure that they had been keeping an eye on you.”

“Lucky you. They only pulled the detail off last week. But I am sure you know that.” Will huffed out a sigh, running his hands through his hair. The rain was falling harder now. It was still warm, but the palm trees were beginning to shake in the wind.

“Why?” Will asked again. _Why did you return, why did you let me live, why haven’t you finished the job? Are you here to finish it now?_

Hannibal read the unspoken questions and spread his hands wider. “I come to you bare-handed. I thought my memory palace would content me, behind bars and even once I escaped the dreary walls of Chilton’s hospital. But it turns out,” Hannibal smiled slightly, echoing Will’s words from when he had been placed behind those same walls, “I can’t get you out of my head.”

Will considered Hannibal, before whistling up his dogs and making his way into his house. He didn’t look back, but neither did he close the door. Hannibal waited.

“Come in out of the rain.”

**Author's Note:**

> My first time writing a 5 times-type fic! It seemed the perfect format to get these various scenes out of my head. I wrote this pretty fast, so please let me know if you see any issues. I hope you enjoyed. :)


End file.
